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Monday, 12 May 2014

Well its goodbye to my Gateshead blog :( and hello to my new blog :) you can find it here reservoirbirder.blogspot.co.uk thanks for looking at my gateshead blog but i hope you enjoy my new one goodbye all from this blog

Thursday, 8 May 2014

Didn't have time to do the normal rounds today as iv'e had to move some catering equipment to a new storage room ready for my move, so just had a look at a few sites around gateshead.
shibdon pond had: 2 shelduck, oystercatcher, teal, mallard, coot, moorhen, lbbgull and herring gull.
flash pool had: redshank and 2 mallard.
lamsley wm had: 2 mute swan, dunlin, lrp, lapwing, starling, redshank, moorhen, coot and swallow.
burdon moor was the best with: 4 wheatear, sedge warbler, swallow, skylark, mipit and lapwing.
Then called it a day early to wash the van.

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

Had tree pipit today at slaley :) took a while to find it but as soon as it started to sing i was straight onto it, had a look around waskerley and other reservoirs today but not much about, weather was nice but the wind was keeping everything down.

Monday, 5 May 2014

At last Osprey at derwent reservoir for me :) i have missed a few passing birds but caught up with one today as it was being mobbed by gulls near the hide, the bird was found yesterday according to the sightings board, other birds of interest today 2 cuckoo, 8 wigeon, 4 common sandpipers, 9 great crested grebes, garden warbler, 5 common buzzard, 2 kestrel and a sparrowhawk. shame the light was crap or i could have some cracking photos to post.

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Plenty to see on today's rounds of the reservoir and derwent valley, had common cuckoo showing well at blanchland moor and found a new pond for some dragonflies :0 also here was a common crossbill and a roe deer, had the usual breeding waders around, golden plover, snipe, oystercatcher, common sandpiper, lapwing and redshank. red grouse were all over the moors but no ring ouzel and wheatear today :( pow hill had the couple of showy red squirrels and the usual redpolls and siskin, buzzards and kestrels and a single red kite were around the reservoir and the pair of wigeon is still about also new in was a singing garden warbler. The stars off the show had to be the 4 pied flycatchers and 2 wood warblers further down the derwent valley, great birds to watch as they sing from their perches :) last call was to the quarry pond near ebchester where i had little grebe which was another patch tick also here was 200+mallard, 2 tufted ducks, 3 teal, 4 moorhens and 200+ nesting sand martins at the sand bank, so new ticks for the patch today were: cuckoo, garden warbler, pied flycatcher, wood warbler and little grebe.

Monday, 28 April 2014

Shibdon pond had a mini fall today with common tern, sedge warbler and lesser whitethroat all new for the year with garden warbler, whitethroat and 2 gadwall here also. Next up was to view a possible new house :0 very nice indeed ;) only a few miles from derwent reservoir i couldn't resist a quick look around the reservoir, nothing new in so just took a few photos from around the reservoir.

I live in the upper Derwent valley and do my birdwatching around the Derwent reservoir, other sites i check on a regular basis are Waskerley reservoir, Smiddy shaw reservoir, Hishope reservoir, Blanchland moor, Slaley forest and areas between these sites. i also check sites down the Derwent valley to Lintzford which include the Derwent river, Coalgate gorge and Milkwellburn woods. There is some great habitat, birds and wildlife in this area which i intend to photograph and report on this blog, which i hope will be of use for any reader intending on having a trip to these areas. I also like to twitch birds in Britain which i have never seen before, iv'e also started birding abroad which i'm hooked on and already have a few trips planned. All my twitches and birding trips abroad will be posted on this blog along with other birding days out i have. Hope you enjoy.